Thursday, April 19, 2012

After SDF, Biya Forms Own Shadow Cabinet in Kondengui Prison

The recent arrest and detention of Chief Ephraim Inoni, former Prime Minister and Marafa Hamidou Yaya, former Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic (formerly Minister of State for Territorial Administration and Decentralization) has completed the formation of a CPDM Shadow Cabinet in Kondengui and New Bell Prisons. Already five former Secretary Generals and Deputy Secretaries at the Presidency of the Republic have been arrested since 1997. What is now evident is that Operation Sparrow Hawk and Albatross has transformed President Biya’s closest collaborators to prisoners. It is hard to imagine that Titus Edzoa, Siyam Siewe, Atangana Mebara, Ephraim Inoni and Marafa Hamidou Yaya have formerly Secretary Generals and or Deputy Secretary Generals at the Presidency of the Republic have been arrested and locked up in Prison. This act, critics say is discrediting the CPDM as well the Biya regime publicly. That trustworthiness has become an endangered specie in some member of government is a fact when we judge from the personalities already arrested for alleged embezzlement. The number of Ministers, Director Generals, Board chairpersons, head of services etc is alarming.

Another school of thought holds that President Biya has arrested almost all those who had enjoyed his full confidence while opposition leaders say these personalities are those who supported the regime wholeheartedly to rig elections in Cameroon. The case of former Prime Minister Inoni Ephraim and Marafa Hamidou Yaya arrested last April 16, 2012 under the eye of television cameras indicate that the regime is hooked.Whether it a mafia that has penetrated the system or it is the determination of President Biya to set examples, the message as interpreted shows that corruption has taken firm root in the heart of the Biya regime. It is however pathetic that these high personalities are accused of having embezzled public funds, thwarted projects funds, initiated fake project or transformed the state treasury private entities. Those already arrested can make up a complete government with only two portfolio lacking, that is the position of the Speaker of the National Assembly and Head of State. Majority of Cameroonians still believe these arrests can only make sense if money embezzled is paid back into the state treasury. Yet it is difficult to think that for many years, all those "venerable" hijackers acted without taking inspiration from their chief many have argued.

Yet these senior civil servants like the others already in detention in the notorious Kondengui Central Prison in Yaounde and New Bell in Douala like Titus Ezoa, Polycarp Abah Abah, Mouchipou Seidou, Urbain Olanguena Owono, Catherine Abena, Atangana Mebara, Zacheus Forjindam, Seiyam Siwe, Eduoard Ekotto, Odong Ndong, Yves Michel Fotso, Jerome Mendouga, Mebara etc are alleged to have been the foremost promoters of corruption and white collar thievery. How can a president who has refused to apply article 66 of the constitution which requires all top civil servants and elected officials to declare their personal fortunes before entering office so as to limit or abate corruption be the one now to want to appear to be the fight against corruption, leaders of the opposition continue to argue? But Fru Ndi has a contrary view. To Fru Ndi it is not today that President Biya is aware that Inoni Ephraim was involved in the Albatross scandal or that Marafa had embezzled. “Biya wants to divert public opinion on the Electoral Code” Fru Ndi said. “In order to stir public attention away from the controversy surrounding the Electoral Code and in an attempt to divert the people towards something else these high-profile personalities have hence been taken into custody to give a semblance of an impression that Mr. Biya is serious about stemming out corruption and take Cameroon to a better managed society of so-called Realization” some activists say.

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